Why Do You Love Me?
by NikkiB1973
Summary: Bella has a question to ask the men in her life... One shot set in Eclipse AU.


**Why Do You Love Me?**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-Just a short random story...**_

Bella sat across from Edward at the lunch table; they were surrounded by the usual crowd. Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley on one side, along with shy Angela Weber and on the other Alice and her partner Jasper. Ever since they had returned from Italy and confirmed to everyone that they were back together, Edward had been making more of an effort with her human friends. It had been part of his promise to her to try and interact more with others so that she would not feel so isolated from her _'humanity_,' as he had patronisingly stated. Bella watched him now pretending to laugh at one of Mike's lame jokes. Jessica was gazing at him, a sly smile on her face as she edged closer and tried to turn Edward's attention on to her.

She sighed and let her eyes wander, she glanced Jaspers way and noticed a look of empathy on his face. This must be pure torture for him she decided, surrounded by the call of blood. His face was chalk white and he seemed to be doing his best not to inhale. Alice seemed oblivious to her partner's discomfort as she chatted away in her bell like tones to them all; excitedly describing the latest designer dress she had brought to an uninterested Jessica who was still trying to be the centre of attention. Bella sat back feeling like she was seeing everything through a glass tunnel. She continued watching each person at the table, especially Edward. Occasionally he would turn her way, giving one of his crooked smiles and reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. She would give him a small smile in return and he would return to his acting performance as he interacted with the humans he felt so superior to.

XXXXXX

Bella read through her notes and began to write the answers to the questions their biology teacher, Mr Varner, had given them to do as homework. She felt Edward's eyes on her as she painstakingly tried to concentrate, her hand shaking slightly. He had taken only seconds to complete the work; after all he had done the same assignments plenty of times before. She heard him give a heavy sigh as the paper was suddenly whipped from under her pen and she raised her startled eyes to see him filling in the answers, his hand a blur before her eyes. Seconds later he handed her the paper back triumphantly, she stared at it in shock. He had filled in every answer in a perfect imitation of her writing style.

"Why did you do that?" She asked, her voice trembling.

Edward reached over and stroked her cheek quickly with one cold, hard finger. Bella shivered involuntarily at his touch. "I did it because I love you, Bella." He said condescendingly. "I could see you were struggling and I couldn't bear that."

She stared up into his golden eyes, she could see herself reflected back in them and it shocked her to see what a pale imitation she had become of her former self. That is when she asked him.

"Why do you love me, Edward?"

XXXXXX

The next day Bella was walking hand in hand along First beach with her best friend, Jacob Black. It was a cold day but with his supernatural heat warming them both she barely felt the chill. Neither of them spoke as they strolled slowly along the sand, both lost in their own thoughts. It was their first real meeting since Bella had absconded to Italy to rescue Edward from himself. On her return she had desperately tried to make amends with Jacob but his hurt had made him keep her at arm's length. Slowly though, after seeing each other face to face at her school when he had come to warn her about the situation with Victoria, they had tentatively reconnected, it had been a shock to her to realise that Edward had lied to her once again about how bad things had become with Victoria. He had whisked her off to her mom's in Jacksonville, under the premise of protecting her from the truth.

"I did it for your own good, Bella..." he had stated patronisingly. "You are fragile and need my protection. I did not lie, it was all for your safety..."

Edward seemed to repeat that defence a lot lately whenever she found the courage to question his actions.

Jacob and Bella eventually reached the bleached out driftwood log that had been the setting for many of their most dramatic moments. He sat down first, pulling her along with him. As she always did, Bella cuddled into his side as he flung his arm across her shoulders. They both looked out to sea, still not saying anything, the silence was comfortable and easy, not like when she was with Edward, then she would feel that she needed to fill it with idle chatter. She often felt that Edward was bored during those moments of awkward silence.

The waves crashed along the surf and Bella watched as they turned over on themselves, the white foam bubbling up and then dispersing. She felt like the sea, always fighting to reach the shore and then drifting away again, repeating the same pattern day after day. Jacob shifted beside her making Bella glance up at him, she saw he was frowning.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly.

"Just wondering how long this will last?" He replied sadly.

"I don't understand..."

Jacob turned his head and glanced down at her, a melancholy look in his dark eyes. "Just wondering how long it will be before you cast me aside again because your leech feels it is in your best interests. I mean you are only here today because you sneaked out behind his back."

Bella felt like he had verbally slapped her, she edged away from him but he just hauled her back into his side. "Stop running away, Bella..." he said tiredly. "Make a decision about what you want."

She froze at his words, as always he seemed to understand her train of thought. She looked up at his handsome face; he was no longer the happy go lucky boy she once knew. In his place was a fully grown adult, he had the muscled body and demeanour of a man much older than his years. The proof was in his dark eyes which had seen things no sixteen year old should have to witness. She had not revealed to him the conversation she had shared with Edward earlier, she needed to hear his answer first before she reached her final decision.

"Jacob, why do you love me?" She asked.

His frown deepened as he tried to read her face. "Why are you asking me that?"

Bella reached up and cupped his cheek in her palm, rubbing the warm skin softly with her thumb. "Please I just need to know..."

"So I can shore up your ego, I am sure the leech has plenty of flowery phrases to make you faint at his feet..." he said bitterly.

"Jake, please...it's not like that. I just need to understand why you love me?" Bella pleaded with him.

He studied her carefully for a tense few seconds before he gave in and pulled her closer to his heated side. She sank against him and let her hand drop into his. He cradled it against his chest as he spoke.

"I love you because you make me smile, laugh and even cry. Sometimes you frustrate the hell out of me but then you give me that shy, adorable smile of yours and I am lost. You are the only girl I know that could sit on an old upturned crate and watch me work on the Rabbit and never get bored. I feel comfortable with you, I don't need to hide how I feel, you already know. I turned into a monster and you wanted to be around me anyway. I love your clumsiness and the way you make me feel like I can achieve anything because you believe in me...the list is endless, Bells. It would take me hours to tell you everything that I love about you. The simple fact is that I just do..." his voice tailed off as he watched the play of emotions crossing her face at his explanation.

Bella felt her heart flutter in her chest as she recalled the scene between her and Edward when she had asked him the same question. Unlike Jacob his hesitation had told her all she needed to know. He had eventually rolled out the same old flowery phrases and romantic declarations but they felt meaningless and empty after the heartfelt words that had just spilled out of Jacob's mouth.

Jacob kept a tight hold of her hand as he pressed it against his strongly beating heart. "Talk to me Bells, why did you ask me that question?" he asked curiously.

"You told me earlier that I needed to make a decision about what I want, and now I have." she replied, looking him steadily in the eyes. She saw the panic flicker in them briefly before he covered it up with false bravado, readying himself for her to rip his heart out of his chest once again.

"Get it over with Bella..." he said dully, dropping her hand and turning to look back out to sea.

Bella smiled wryly to herself as she stood up and knelt before him on the sand, the strong wind whipping her long hair around her face. She saw him turn and look at her in confusion. Her smile grew wider as she took his hands back in her own and pressed them to her chest. "Feel that, Jake. That's my heart beating; you kept it that way with your constant support, loving friendship and acceptance of who I am as a person. You love me as I am and never try to change me."

The beginnings of a grin began to form along his full lips as he gazed at her in wonder. "Are you saying what I think you're saying..."

Bella nodded as he pulled her up and then onto his lap, wrapping his long arms around her. She smiled in delight as she felt him press his lips into her tangled hair, she knew that she must look a mess but didn't care. Jacob loved her for herself alone and safe in this knowledge she leaned up and pressed her lips firmly onto his in a loving kiss sealing her promise to the one she really loved.

_**A/N-Wrote this during a break from studying, LOL ;) **_


End file.
